conjecture with a clue as to its original purport. An arch rising from two three-quarter columns, and intersected by two others, springing from a column in the centre, connects this door-way with a third, also richly ornamented, though less so than the former: beyond this, extending southward, is a range of semicircular intersecting arches, similarly ornamented. The area of the cloister is now connected with a large piece of ground, and forms part of a prebendal garden.

Immediately adjacent to the north side of the Cathedral, and standing between the transepts, is Gundulph's Tower, the masonry of which is extremely solid, the walls being ten feet in thickness, though the whole building forms a square of only forty feet on the outside. The angles are strengthened by pilaster buttresses. The windows, which are very few, and small, have semicircular arches. This was unquestionably erected for a bell tower, though an idea has been entertained, that it was originally intended for the preservation of records; an hypothesis that was founded on the circumstance of a flying buttress, which proceeds from the eastern transept, and has its upper part wrought into steps, being connected with the top of this tower; and, as supposed, being originally the only way by which it could be entered. A careful inspection of the building, however, will convince any intelligent inquirer, that the present entrance from below, is coeval with the fabric itself, and that the pointed arch, which it now opens under, is an innovation of later times.

The precincts of this Cathedral appear to have occupied nearly half the area contained within the walls of the city. There were three gates leading into it; the Cemetary gate, which opened from the Market Cross towards the west end of the Church; St. William's gate, which led from the High Street to the north transept door; and the Prior's gate, which opened into the vineyard towards the south. This latter, which is embattled, and the Cemetary gate, are still remaining; both of them have obtusely pointed arches. Scarcely any thing remains of the various offices of the dissolved Monastery, but parts of walls, which are now wrought up in other edifices: the Porter's Lodge, is a small embattled

tower,

tower, opening under a pointed arch. The site of the Bishop's Palace, originally erected by Gundulph, and afterwards successively re-edified by the Bishops Glanville and Lowe, is now occupied by a neat and pleasant row of modern houses.

On the site of the Prior's Chambers stands the present Deanery; the grounds ranging to the south-east of which, were anciently the gardens, &c. of the Prior and Convent, who, among their other pleasures, had the enjoyment of a Vineyard. The space which this occupied, is immediately without the city walls, and is still called the Vines Field; it was originally granted to the Monks by Edward the First, together with permission to pull down part of the city wall, and fill up the ditch, on condition that they erected a new stone wall, embattled, and sixteen feet high.' The foundations of the latter wall may yet be traced; and, with the ancient wall, which the Monks did not pull down, but contented themselves with making a door through, includes between three and four acres of ground.

In Rochester were formerly four Churches, independent of the Cathedral: these were respectively dedicated to St. Nicholas, St. Margaret, St. Clement, and St. Mary: the latter is entirely destroyed, and its site forgotten: St. Clement's continued to be used till after the Reformation, when the Parish was united to that of St. Nicholas, and the Church itself was dilapidated: the remaining walls are still to be found in some houses on the north side of the High Street, near the Bridge. St. Margaret's Church is pleasantly situated on a lofty eminence, to the southward: the tower is well built, and embattled. In the chancel is a mural monument in commemoration of CAPTAIN PERCY, a descendant of the Earls of Northumberland, who served in the navy during forty-seven years, and escaped from many imminent dangers in sea-fights, &c. between the years 1700 and 1740, the particulars of which are recited on a marble tablet.

The Parish of St. Nicholas, though the oldest on record in this city, does not appear to have had a distinct place of worship till upwards of three centuries after the Conquest. The parishioners, however, had an altar in the northern division of the west tran

2

sept,

sept, and, perhaps, an exclusive right to the performance of divine service in that part of the Cathedral. After the canonization of St. William, this arrangement proved extremely inconvenient to the Monks, the access to the shrine of the sainted pilgrim leading immediately through the transept: an attempt was therefore made to remove the altar to the nave; but this was vehemently opposed by the parishioners, with whom the Monks, through their own cupidity, had not been in habits of agreement for more than 200 years, Their disputes were at length terminated by Bishop Young, and Archbishop Chicheley, in 1421, by whose award, the parishioners were allowed to remove to a Church which they had then recently completed for themselves, in the cemetary on the north side of the Cathedral. This fabric is yet standing, and consists of a nave, aisles, and chancel, with an embattled tower at the north-west angle. The windows are large, and pointed; each being divided into three lights, with crockets above. Over the west door is an inscribed tablet, purporting, that this Church was rebuilt in the year 1624; and although this account is corroborated by an entry in the Register, the appearance of the building itself, as well as the Brief issued for its repair, and other documents, evince its extreme fallacy. The interior is neat, but exhibits nothing particularly remarkable, excepting an octangular Font, on the faces of which is sculptured the word CRISTIAN, in Saxon capitals.

The principal charitable establishments in this city, are ST. CATHERINE'S HOSPITAL, a Grammar School, an Alms-House for the relief of Poor Travellers, and a Free School. The Hospital

was

* Some restrictions and services were still, however, imposed by the Monks on the parishioners: they were especially laid under an obligation not to enlarge the Church without the permission of the Convent, except by the addition of a belfry: they were likewise to repair the fences, as well of the Cemetary to the Cathedral, as to their own Parish Church; although the privilege of burying in the former was not obtainable without a fee to the servants of the Convent. They were also to give attendance at an annual celebration of mass in the Cathedral on St. Andrew's day; and the hours were fixed on which the bells of the new Church were allowed to be rung!

was founded and endowed in the year 1316, by Simond Potyn, who was master of the Crown Inn, and appears to have represented this city in seven Parliaments, during the reigns of Edward the First and Second. It was intended for persons afflicted with the leprosy, whether male or female, or suche other diseases that longe to impotence;' who were to live under the government of a Prior, and be subject to the correction special of the Vicary of St. Nicholas of Rochester, and the heyres,' of the founder. No inmate of this Spittel' was allowed to be oute of the same after the sonne goinge doune,' unless for the profite of the Priour;' nor to haunte the taverne to go to ale; but when theie have talent or desier to drynke, theie shall bye theare drynke, and brynge yt to the Spitell; so that none of them be debator, baretor, dronkelew, nor rybawde of his tongue, nor of other misrule or evell governaunce.' The revenues of this foundation having been greatly diminished by the demised premises being leased out at an undervalue for a long term of years, it was determined by a Commission of Inquiry, held at Rochester in 1704, under an order from the High Court of Chancery, that, the lessees should deliver up their leases to have them renewed for a shorter term, and pay 1001. towards repairing the Hospital, &c. that in future, no lease should be granted for a longer period than twenty-one years; and that the Dean and Chapter, and the Mayor of Rochester, with the Vicar of St. Nicholas, should thenceforth have the entire patronage.' The present Hospital, which was erected in 1717, contains twelve apartments, occupied by the same number of poor people, who have a certain allowance of coals, candle, and money, annually, out of the proceeds arising from the original endowments, and from donations that have been since made.

The GRAMMAR SCHOOL was founded by Henry the Eighth, for twenty Scholars, to be called King's Scholars,' with an Upper and Under Master, to be paid by the Church; together with four exhibitions to the Universities, each of the yearly value of 51. This School, according to the words of the charter, was established Ut pietas et bona literæ perpetuo in nostra ecclesià suppullescant Grescant, et floreant; et suo tempore in gloriam Dei; et reipublica commodum

commodum, et ornamentum, fructificent.' A bequest of 601. per annum, connected with this School, and with the Free School at Maidstone, was made in the year 1618, by the Rev. Robert Gunsley, Rector of Titsey, in Surrey, for the maintenance of four Scholars at University College, Oxford; to be selected from both Schools, and to be allowed chambers, and fifteen pounds each, annually.

The Alms-House, endowed for the relief of Poor Travellers, stands on the north side of the High Street, near the upper end, and appears to have been built in the reign of Queen Elizabeth. It was appropriated and finished under the Will of Richard Watts, Esq. who lies buried in the Cathedral, and who devised his principal house, called Satis, with its appurtenances, &c. to be sold for the purpose of providing six good matrices, or flock beds, and other good and sufficient furniture, to harbor or lodge poor travellers, or way-faring men, being no common Rogues, nor Proctors; and they, the said way-faring men, to harbor and lodge therein no

longer

* Mr. Watts had the honor of entertaining Queen Elizabeth in this Mansion in the year 1573, during one of her Progresses into Sussex and Kent. On this occasion, he is said to have apologized to his Sovereign, at her departure, for the smallness and inconvenience of his residence; to which she replied only by the Latin word 'SATIS:' and this afterwards became the appellation of the house. But little of the old build. ing remains, though the Mansion that occupies its site still bears its name. It stands on Bully Hill, at a short distance southward from the Castle.

† The reason vulgarly assigned as Mr. Watts's motive for fixing this lasting stigma on the legal profession, is, that when on the Continent, he was afflicted with a severe illness; and having employed a Proctor to make his Will, found, on his unexpected recovery, that the villainous advocate, instead of recording the intentions of his employer, had made over all his estates to himself. An ingenious writer, however, has suggested, and with much greater probability, that the word Proctor, or Procurator, was the designation of those itinerant Priests, who, in the reign of Queen Elizabeth, had dispensations from the Pope, to absolve the subjects of that Princess from their allegiance.